A Savior's Worth (Book #3)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

"Open your eyes, little prince," a raspy and cold voice said.

Henry shuddered as their frigid fingers trailed down his cheek. Peeking an eye open, he gasped. The person appeared to be a shriveled woman, face half-covered with a purple rag, and coarse silver hair sticking out in different directions.

"I told you to leave him alone," another voice—younger and kinder—emitted from the shadows.

Henry frantically glanced around. He found himself tied back by chains in a cave with lit torches aligned against the damp rock walls. Light from outside seeped inside, along with a trail of snow. His mind felt foggy, preventing him from recalling where he'd last been. He could not imagine how he could've even gotten to this point. Vaguely, he recalled a conversation with Eldon...

"You are not in charge," the woman scolded the other person.

"Perhaps not, but that still does not give you the right to frighten the poor boy."

Boy?

Henry glared forward at the woman, refusing to allow these people to intimidate him. Though this made her chuckle, she finally walked away. With her gone, the owner of the other voice entered his view. He was older, much older than Henry anyway. His blue eyes were gentle and frighteningly familiar, though. His entire face was also exposed, which was certainly different.

"Forgive me if I was wrong in assuming you are Henry Devereux, Prince of Occidentis Caelum?"

Henry clenched his jaw and the stranger smiled.

"It is nice to finally meet you," he said.

"What?" Henry asked. "How could you even know who I am?"

"For one, your accent is only common in a few regions in Caelum and in Rerum Memoria. Secondly, you are childhood friends with Princess Elouise, are you not?"

Henry huffed. "Do you people never tire of this obsession with her?"

"Do not refer to me as one of them. I am not one of them."

"Then what are you doing here? And what of this?" Henry yanked on the restraints around his wrists.

"Regiis," yet another voice boomed. This time, however, they came from the entrance of the cave. "Stis afeura del."

"What did he say?" Henry questioned the man. He received no response as the stranger moved away and disappeared back into the shadows.

Henry peered over at the large silhouette hovering in front of the entrance, blocking the light. That person said nothing else as they turned and exited.

"I apologize for that," said the stranger.

"You are going to kill me," Henry asserted. Although he knew this was supposed to terrify him, he couldn't find it within him to care. Eldon, Iris, Kinsey, and Cora were not with him. They were safe, and that was enough to keep him sane.

"I'm sorry," the man whispered. "I wish I could stop it, but I have no say or power in this."

Henry rolled his eyes. "Then what is your purpose?"

"To keep people company and lighten up their mood, if possible."

"If possible?" Henry groaned. "Yes, of course, because everyone who is about to be sacrificed to a dark entity wants to have a laugh with a complete stranger first."

"Watch your tongue or I'll cut it out. I'm also here to keep the prisoners quiet if they get rowdy."

Henry opened his mouth again. Then, thinking better of it, pressed his lips tightly together. He slumped as much as he could against the stone and attempted to clear his mind, desperately searching for any clues as to how he got here. He recalled sitting around the fire with everyone and wondered if that had been when he'd spoken to Eldon. Whatever had happened afterward was simply gone.